1 Corinthians 3:1-4 – “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?” NKJV

Without intending to offend, many of us have known, been a part of or encountered Christian groups who truly believe they are the “Select of the Elect” and if you do not align your beliefs with theirs you are either not saved or 2nd class citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  So often, groups will put particular identifiers in their declaration of who they are.  We call ourselves “full gospel” as though we had a corner on the gospel and as mere mortals could somehow capture the fullness of the gospel.  We call ourselves “holiness” and if I am not mistaken, the Bible calls for everyone to “Be Holy for He is Holy”.  We call ourselves “Missionary, Primitive, Southern, Reformed, etc.” or some other descriptor in our name as a badge of honor.  We call ourselves “The Church of…” whatever as though we are the ONLY ones who are.  I realize that I’m treading on thin ice now but consider what Paul said to the Church at Corinth on this matter.  I remember asking a group of people, “Are you Christians?” The response was, “I am this, that or the other identifying the denomination they were apart of.”  That was not the question!

He tells them that he could not come with a spiritual diet because of their carnality and their carnality was directly connected to sectarianism.  Do not understand me to mean that a sect, religion or group that dismisses Jesus as the Only Begotten of the Father and The Way, Truth and Life is to be embraced.  NO!  I am saying our divisions, fighting over petty doctrines of men causes more harm than good in the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is not meat or drink and God shows no partiality nor does He have favorites.  The strife and divisions where one says, “I’m Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Charismatic, Holiness, Pentecostal, etc.” usually provides more basis for division than unity in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I fully believe that on matters essential to salvation and the reality of God the Bible is clear.  On many of the dividing matters we tend to fight over and divide over are significantly unimportant to the overall objective of the Kingdom of God.  I am sure some will totally disagree.  For the most part, the identifiers in our names, is to attract those who agree with us more than they are designed to advance the Kingdom of God and reach the world.

We are to be the Body of Christ not isolated unrelated parts.  Can you imagine a human body trying to function where the feet said to the hands, “If you want that glass of water, then you find a way to the table…”  Imagine the eyes heart saying to the lungs, “If you want blood pump it yourself…” or vice versa the lungs telling the heart, “If you want oxygen learn to breathe…”  NO!  Each member of the human body is dependent upon and works in harmony with the other members of the body.  All the members do not look the same, they do not function the same, they do not have the same individual objectives and if they could express ideology as to what is most important I am quite sure they would give us very differing opinions.

We must stand against the wiles of the devil who desires to divide us and thereby conquer us or hinder our progress.  If we do great exploits while isolated individual groups how much more could we do if we lost the sectarianism and labored in the Harvest as a unit with a common objective of Proclaiming the Good News to the Entire World?   Of course, the various groups have a benefit.  They provide a means of fellowship with people who think alike and have the same primary objectives religiously or spiritually.  That is not all bad but allowing it to divide and cause division, strife, envy and bickering is.   All I am saying is rather than view ourselves as THE let’s consider ourselves as A.  We are not THE CHURCH we are part of THE CHURCH.  The Church belongs to Him and we are living stones within that building He is assembling.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  NKJV

I know believers who are constantly seeking a “New Revelation” and while I believe I understand what they are truly seeking I sometimes feel like the new pastor who went into a church and preached a masterpiece.  The next Sunday he preached the exact same sermon and did so the next and the next week.  Finally after many complaints from the congregation the Deacons approached him and said, “Pastor, the message you have been preaching was a masterpiece the first time and okay the second but you need to get a new sermon.”  He looked at them and calmly said, “Do something with that one first.”  If we have a Bible filled with the written revelation of God, His Kingdom and purposes should we not be about doing something with what we have before we try to find something no one else has found?

Jesus spoke the Gospel in extreme simplicity here and elsewhere in Scripture.  He gives four extremely simple but profound truths in this short verse which would be well to examine.  I will hit the high points for time and space will not permit (if I could) giving an exhaustive exegesis of this passage.  Consider the declaration of the LORD:

• I Am the Way.

       Route or path.  Remember our LORD declared in Matthew 7:14, “…straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life…”  In today’s politically correct world that strives for “tolerance” and “acceptance” of everyone and everything this is anathema but Jesus repeatedly declared, “I AM THE WAY…”  He did not say, “I am A way but THE way.”

• I Am the Truth.

When He stood before Pilate, the earthly potentate asked, “What is truth but did not wait around for the real answer.”  I have heard some nationally known and recognized preachers declare that a person can be a participant of various religions and still make heaven by faithfully following their beliefs.  That is totally contradictory to the Bible and I will stand with the Bible.  God does say, “Whosoever will let Him come…”  However that coming must be to Christ and must include repentance of sin.  It is by Grace that we are saved, through faith and it is not earned.  Jesus is THE TRUTH.  He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  He is the sacrifice for the sin of the world.

• I Am the Life.

He is not speaking of natural life although that could be included for should God remove His finger from our lives we would cease as the notes on an organ once the finger is removed from the keys.  He is Eternal Life. 

• No one comes to the Father except through Me.

He is the Door to the sheepfold.  He is the gateway to the throne room of the Father.  He is our High Priest who makes intercession for us.  If NO ONE can access the Father except through Jesus what would make anyone declare that believing in Allah or Buddha or any of the myriad of gods, man has concocted gain access?  The Gospel according to our LORD and His word is incredible simple.  Jesus is our Hope!  Jesus is our Way, Truth and Life.  Jesus is our only door to the Father and the only gate through which we can enter into eternal life.

            May the LORD richly bless you as you go through this day!

1 John 3:18 – “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” NKJV

If you have ever dealt with someone who demonstrated an obvious dislike for you, did things to hurt or hinder you and spread rumors or half truths about you but would publicly say, “I love you” you will understand.  That is one scenario in which words do not match actions or attitudes and it is often painfully obvious.

Through the years of ministry I have encountered marital situations where the marriage was hanging by a thread and both parties would tell the other, “I love you”.  I believe they believed what they were saying was truth to the degree they understood truth.  If a husband/wife verbally declares, “I love you” but belittles the other, is unfaithful, fails to provide for the family as is needed their words are hollow.  I’ve observed parents telling their children, “We love you” and then proceed to berate, belittle, badger and torment them publicly and privately.  Their actions speak so loudly the words are muted.

I have worked in ministerial alliances where some within the group would continually seek to drive wedges in an effort to build a coalition elevating them to a position of prominence or advancing their particular objectives.  Honey would almost drip from their lips as they declared in group settings their “love” for those they were tearing down and those who had heard the words from both sides of their mouths knew the hypocrisy with which they spoke.

LOVE is not simply verbal, it is an action.  If I love you I will seek to do you harm.  I will not allow envy to shadow my view or relationship with you.  I will not self-promote or behave rudely.  I will not be self-serving or self-seeking.  I will not rejoice openly or in my heart when you experience setbacks or problems.  I will be patient, kind, gentle, trusting and willing to help. I will do that which I can to help you succeed even if it costs me.  I can declare how much I “love” the poor but if my effort is limited to words is that love?  LOVE is never passive and never without corresponding actions.  I would rather someone know my love by my actions rather than just hearing my words.

A man or a woman that tells their spouse, “I love you” then is unfaithful has rendered those words meaningless.  A person that says, “I love you” but spreads gossip, rumors and half-truths about another has transformed those words into meaninglessness.  Jesus said, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for their friends.  When I read in John 3:16 that “God loves the world” I do not have to read far to see His corresponding actions that demonstrate that love.  When I read Job’s words that he made a “covenant with his eyes not to look on a woman with lust…” I understand that when he says to his wife, “I love you” he is committed to demonstrating that love.

I have had people tell me, “I love you” and knew that it was incredibly superficial and deemed the proper thing to say under the circumstances.  I have always resisted saying, “I love you” unless I truly meant it.  Understand that my desire is to LOVE EVERYONE and manifest the nature of my LORD in all that I do.  Do I succeed?  I wish but sadly, I am still pressing toward the mark and still find myself repenting.  I never want to allow my words to become superficial meaningless chatter but have them backed by the character of my heart.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 14:1-4 – “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”  NKJV

The Bible frequently reaffirms our hope that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again to receive us to our eternal home.  When the crowd gathered outside Jerusalem on the day of our Lord’s ascension and they watched Him caught up into the clouds I can only imagine what they thought.  As they stood there watching Him ascend, two angels appeared and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in to heaven?  This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”  Simply, He is coming back like He said!

There is no ambiguity in the promise of Jesus in John 14 it is crystal clear.  He said, “If I go…” and we know He went.  He is now in heaven and preparation for our arrival is either underway or has been completed.  His promise was, “…if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  What a promise!  What a hope!  What a future!

In the Father’s House there is a place for us to reside eternally.  We are truly sojourners and pilgrims passing through this world on the way to our eternal abode.  Hebrews 11 clearly reveals the mindset of the patriarchs of faith.  They had the promise in their hearts and although those promises had not become natural physical realities they embraced them and owned them.  Their confession was they were temporary dwellers on earth and looking for a city and in the eyes of their faith they saw that city and longed for it.

This world is not getting better as some would have us believe.  Mankind is not becoming better he is plunging deeper and deeper into depravity.  We are in or nearing what the Bible calls “The Last Days” where evil will become more and more pronounced.  It is becoming a very dark world and many believers are crying, “Even so come Lord Jesus” longing for an escape from the destruction that is before us.  How long will He tarry?  I do not know but I know that His promise to come back is sure!

That promise is the foundation for us to “not let our hearts be troubled.”  We believe in God.  We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can trust His promise and face whatever comes with confidence that we will never be forsaken and that we can stand and rise victorious for when the enemy comes in like a flood God raises up His standard against that enemy.  In the end, we win!

I have a sense in my heart that the coming is not far off but I also remember that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.  He is not upset by that which causes us consternation and has never operated by our time tables or in our time frames.  His is an eternal calendar and an eternal clock not a man-made division of time.

May the Lord stir our hearts with confidence and hope knowing that He is coming back like He said!   God bless you as you go through this wonderful day!

Galatians 6:1-5 – “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.”  NKJV

No I ‘m not talking about the song by The Hollies but a biblical principle of caring for each other.  The song says, “The road is long with many a winding turn that leads us to who know where who knows when but I’m strong enough to carry him He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” 

Most who have preached, taught or studied matters of faith and read various and sundry writings remember the story of Sandhu Sundar Singh and a traveling companion were traveling through a high and rugged pass in the Himalayan Mountains they found a body lying in the snow.  Sandhu Sundar Singh could not tolerate the thought of leaving the man behind even at the objection of his traveling companion.  His companion left him there to care for the man and with incredible difficulty Singh lifted the man onto his back and the heat of his own body gradually warmed the freezing man to the point he revived.  After a time they were both able to walk and found Singh’s companion frozen in the snow.  He was willing to lose his life to save another and in the process found his life and the life of the unfortunate man.  His traveling companion focused on self-preservation, was unwilling to risk losing his life to help another and lost his.

This reminds me of the question of Jesus, “Who is my mother?  Who are my brothers?”  He answered that saying, “…whoever does the will of God is my brother, sister and mother.”  In Luke 10:29 Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?”  Our Lord related the story, account or parable of the Good Samaritan indicating that the person in genuine need is our neighbor and Psalm 19:17 teaches that if we “…give to the poor we lend to the Lord…”  The Psalm reminds us that God never forgets our acts of kindness, generosity or mercy.  I find it incredibly powerful that the Psalmist would use a word translated LEND.  We do not obligate God but He obligates Himself to remember!

In today’s world there are many worthy causes and needy people.  The Bible makes it clear that a truly needy person is never to be ignored by those able to lend a hand.  It also makes it abundantly clear that a person who may be destitute but lazy and unwilling to work is not to receive that help.  Some call me heartless when I say that but if a person adopts a lifestyle of slothfulness and preys upon the kindheartedness of others they are to be allowed to suffer in their plight.  In the case where a person would work if they could I will be at the head of the line offering assistance whenever my means make it possible.  I would never punish children who are not capable of fending for themselves for the dolefulness of parents or caretakers but I would also want to insure the doleful adult receives no benefit for the care of the child.  I believe that is biblical.

So, that person truly in need is not heavy, he/she is my brother/sister and I want to reach out and help.  I want to provide a hand up not just a hand out.  I want to present and manifest to them the love, character and nature of my loving LORD.

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

Romans 12:1-2 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  NKJV

Through the years I have observed many people, situations and experiences that involved sacrifice.  We have all observed people making incredible sacrifices for the benefit of others and some so selfless they amazed us.  As I reflect on this thought and passage I felt the Holy Spirit ask, “What is a sacrifice?”  If I take the simplest definition it is “surrendering possession of something and making it an offering.”  It can be something that is slaughtered or simple given up in the pursuit of acceptance.

So if a sacrifice is something that is given to be slaughtered or possession is given to another what is a “Living Sacrifice?”  If we are presenting our bodies as sacrifices to God are we not giving Him possession and thereby complete control?  He is not talking about our bodies being given in death but in life, for we are to make this presentation as a “Living Sacrifice”.  That means that we are acknowledging our willing relinquishment of control of our lives.  Paul called this “reasonable” and identifies that this was to be more than just our physical bodies we are to give our hearts and minds as well.  We are to move from worldly conformation to spiritual transformation by the renewing of our minds.  Therefore, if we are giving ourselves to God as a sacrifice that is alive we are acknowledging that He has the right to total control of our lives.

If I am a Living Sacrifice then why do I still demand my rights and privileges?  I have none, I am a sacrifice.  I am at his disposal to use as He chooses, in the way He chooses, when He chooses and where He chooses.  How is it that we continue to resist if we are truly sacrifices of the living kind?  So many are searching for the “will of God” but when the Holy Spirit nudges their hearts to do some small or even less desirable service they resist.  Some have told me they want to find a church where their gifting is appreciated and utilized.  I can understand that but what if God is not ready for you to be in the front of the room and has a work in the back of the room for you?  If you are a “Living Sacrifice” you will not complain but if you are not truly a sacrifice you will resist.

If I give myself to God as a sacrifice it is no longer I but He that lives in me and through me.  It is no longer my will but thine be done.  It is no longer about me it is about Him, His kingdom and purpose.  The question I often ask myself and others is, “Are we truly living sacrifices?”  Do we place ourselves on the altar and then get up and walk off the altar?

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

Jeremiah 12:5 – “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?”  NKJV

Most of us have experienced times when we didn’t think we could go on.  It seemed like everything that could go wrong had, was going or would go wrong and we were weary of life itself.  I recall praying with in a time of incredible hardship and in my lament I cried out to God saying, “I wouldn’t treat my kids like this, what can You be thinking to allow this?”  As I continued to moan and complain over my plight I felt a nudge of the Spirit of God directing me to this passage.  I opened my Bible and began to read.  As I read I felt my face flush, my heart began to race and I had severe shortness of breath.  After I finished reading I could not speak and after a few minutes I cried out, “I’m so sorry LORD!  I am so wrong!  Help me!” 

As I began to reflect on my situation I was ashamed of my reaction and response.  I knew instantly that I was being wearied by footmen and that things could and might get much worse.  I knew that if this was causing my confidence to crumble I would be in deep trouble if horse soldiers were loosed into the battle.  I realized that if the enemy came in like a flood and the banks of adversity overflowed I was in trouble so my response was to repent and cry for help.

Almost immediately things began to change.  We needed depositions from people to confirm our account and resolve the issue.  The attorney handling the situation said, “If we get 25% response we will be doing well.”  There were fourteen people who had firsthand knowledge of the matter and fourteen gave a sworn deposition confirming our position.  He called me and said, “I don’t really believe in miracles but this is a miracle.  I have never had this kind of response.”  We rejoiced in God’s marvelous response.  God had allowed me to be tested by the footmen and allowed me to moan and complain then in His incredible love and compassion brought me face to face with the truth and my response allowed Him to break the chains the enemy was attempting to place on us.

I am fully convinced that in the days to come most, if not all believers, will experience battles with the footmen.  Many are now encountering the hordes of hell’s infantry coming against them.  I plead with you to lift up your eyes and look to the hills knowing you are not alone.  If you will stand firm in the strength of your faith and the power of God you will not only overcome the footmen but when the mounted cavalry arrives you will be prepared for them as well.  When the flood gates of adversity are opened you will know that God will raise up a standard against the enemy and manifest the truth declared in Scripture that we are “more than conquerors through Jesus.”

If you think now is bad what will you do when it gets worse?  I am not trying to be gloom and doom but if you are a threat to the devil he will spare nothing in his attempt to shipwreck your faith.  My encouragement is to remember you are NOT ALONE!  You are NOT FORSAKEN!  You will OVERCOME!

            God bless you richly is my prayer!

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 – “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”  NKJV

I am a fan of adequate planning and having a strategy but sometimes you have to implement the plan even in the face of potential obstacles.  If you are waiting for the perfect day or the perfect conditions you will find yourself in the paralysis of analysis and accomplish nothing.  The Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and unjust alike.  A cloud that is full of rain does not discriminatory as to where it dumps its rain.  Wherever it is when the conditions are conducive is where the rain falls, desert or forest.  When a tree falls in the forest it has died and will lie wherever it has fallen and in the condition it has fallen.  In life the condition we find ourselves at the time of our earthly departure is the state we will spend eternity in.  Thus it is imperative that we insure that our hearts are turned to God at all times.

Then we come to verse 4 and receive a stern warning about the paralysis of analysis.  If we are looking for a perfect time to launch out we will never launch.  If we are overly conscious of the clouds and winds of adversity we will become paralyzed and not sow and if we do not sow we will not reap.  The devil understands this analogy and principle as well, if not better, than we and uses it against us whenever possible.

We can be overly meticulous and thereby our over attention to the intricate details will render us inactive.  It is always wise to fully evaluate a situation and pray about it carefully, fully and diligently.  However, if we allow the winds of adversity to capture our attention we will become paralyzed with trepidation and that timidity will keep us on the sidelines.  The principle of sowing and reaping requires sowing to have reaping.  Even if we have sown but focus on the clouds and possible storms of opposition we will fail to go into the fields and reap no productive harvest.  We can analyze to the point that we are paralyzed, immobile and inactive and although we have a great mission and commission set before us we will fail in our assignment because we allow external circumstances to dictate our involvement.

Jesus has promised to never leave us and we know that we are more than conquerors through Him therefore though all hell assail us heaven will not fail us and if we refuse to grow weary in well doing we will reap if we do not faint.  I would suggest there may never be a time we view as perfect to launch into that which is in our hearts for the Kingdom.  There will always be opposition and if we understand that opposition is often evidence we are headed in the right direction we will be more emboldened in our labors.

The winds may blow but you must sow!  The clouds may become dark and ominous but we must thrust our sickles and harvest the grain.  I urge you to ask the LORD to help you guard against the terribleness of the paralysis of analysis and become a doer of the word not just a hearer or planner.   There is a time for everything and after the planning, preparation and prayer it is time to roll up our sleeves and engage in the labor.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 11:40-44 – “Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” NKJV

I love the story of Lazarus.  I have little doubt there were those in the crowd who believed Jesus could do all things, some believed had He been there Lazarus would have lived and others who were just curious.  He instructed them to take him to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried for four days and the smell would permeate the atmosphere should they roll away the stone.  Jesus was undeterred when they protested and instructed them to take away the stone. He prayed an incredibly simple prayer and then commanded loudly for Lazarus to come out of the tomb.  Lazarus was dead!  He had been dead four days!  In the natural mind he wasn’t going anywhere he was dead and decomposition was setting in.

Amazingly, when He issued a commanded that was probably a shock to many of those present, Lazarus came out of the tomb wrapped in the burial linens.  I can only imagine the sight of a figure emerging from the tomb bound head to foot with the cloths they used to wrap the dead.  What a sight that must have been and I would not be surprised if some wanted to turn and run even if they resisted that urge.

In many ways, Lazarus is a picture of us when we first come to Christ in salvation.  We are still bound with the grave-clothes of a life of sin and cannot fully function in that condition.  We are alive with the newness of life and our names are now in the Lamb’s Book of Life but we are not ready to fully function.  That is why we need the Holy Spirit to do what Jesus commanded, “Loose him, and let him go.”  Take the extraneous trappings from his life.  We need the wise master builders to mold and shape us fitting us into that role and function we are designated in the Body of Christ.  We need to be taught and allowed to mature spiritually from infancy to adolescence to adulthood.  We need to be LOOSED from the baggage that still tries to attach itself to our lives.

God help us to not only hear the call to life but to allow those instructed of the Spirit of God to LOOSE US!  May we be those who are teachable!  May we realize that we have not arrived but are pressing toward the mark and to reach that goal effectively and be vessels meet for the Master’s use we need to be LOOSED!

            God bless you as you go through this day!

Proverbs 21:2 – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts.”  NKJV

I recall a discussion with an individual about a particular matter of faith and that individual proclaimed something that was, in my view, completely foreign to the precepts and principles of God’s word.  In fact, their belief was in direct conflict with several passages in the Bible that would be difficult to interpret differently.

It was when I reminded this person of those passages he said, “But it’s what I believe.”  In short, he was declaring that it did not matter how many passages from the Bible I could present to them, he had decided that what he believed was right and nothing else mattered or would sway him.  That is an incredibly dangerous position in matters of faith or in matters of life generally.  If we ignore revealed truth in defense of our particular belief or ideology we are not just being foolish we become potentially dangerous.  We are dangerous to the faith of the weak, newbies, susceptible and our own faith.  We are allowing ourselves to become tools of the enemy of our souls and demonstrating a stubbornness that is akin to witchcraft.

Most of us, believe that what we believe is right and most of the time believe that what we are doing and how we are living is right.  It is almost impossible to look at self objectively for we all have blind spots that we are totally unable to see and often reject when they are revealed or suggested.  However, God is not subject to our view or inability to see truth about our lives or conduct.  He sees everything and the end from the beginning.  He knows our thoughts afar off.  He knows when we get up, sit down, or lay down.  He is OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT, and OMNIPOTENT.  He sees and knows and desires, through the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth.

God weighs our hearts and if we are weighed in the balance and found wanting we should desire Him to lead us into rightness and righteousness.  If we are in error we should desire to find truth.  In my years of living the Christian life and Christian service I have found that some things I initially believed I no longer believe because I have gained knowledge, from His Word, and my doctrine and beliefs have been modified to accommodate the word not the word modified to accommodate my beliefs.

Just because we believe something does not make it truth it makes it our belief or opinion.  If the facts, the revealed word of God and the Spirit of God pull back the veil of understanding and expose us to a greater revelation we need to incorporate truth into our beliefs.  I know some who search the Bible to find isolated passages they can use to solidify their argument or belief rather than seeking to KNOW TRUTH and adapt their beliefs to truth. Just because we think we are right does not mean that we are it means we think we are!

            May the Lord be with you as you go through this day!